<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Bart's First New Years by Padre91</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28474725">Bart's First New Years</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Padre91/pseuds/Padre91'>Padre91</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Bart's First Holidays [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, M/M, New Year's Kiss, New Years</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 14:35:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,897</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28474725</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Padre91/pseuds/Padre91</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The last installment of the Bart's First series. Bart learns exactly how New Years is celebrated and Jaime has to let his family know of their relationship.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bart Allen/Jaime Reyes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Bart's First Holidays [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1993627</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Bart's First New Years</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Happy New Years!  This last year on Archive has been amazing and I hope that this next year is even better.  I look forward to reading everyone else's fics and writing a ton more of my own.  I hope that everyone can find the time to celebrate this holiday in the way they love to the most!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>The Watchtower</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>December 29, 10:30 EST</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Everyone still sick?” Jaime asked, his phone pressed to his ear.</p>
<p>“Unfortunately,” Bianca answered on the other end of the phone.  “But we are doing much better.  So, it should be just a couple more days, a week at most.”</p>
<p>“Ok,” Jaime sighed.  “Let everyone know that I miss them,”</p>
<p>“Will do,” Bianca replied and coughed.  “Love you mijo.”</p>
<p>“Love you too Mamá,” Jaime said with a smile and hung up his phone.  Jaime walked out of the Memorial Garden on the Watchtower, the hologram images of fallen heroes standing proud amongst the trees, bidding him farewell for now.</p>
<p>“Any news?” Bart asked as he saw Jaime walk into entertainment room.  A smile spread across his face, as they were now out to the Team and could show more affection than usual.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Jaime said and sat down on the couch next to Bart.  He put an arm around Bart’s shoulders and leaned his head back on the back of the couch.  “Mi familia is still sick.  Gotta stay away for a few more days.”</p>
<p>“Sounds moded,” Bart said and leaned his head on Jaime’s chest.  “Mr. and Mrs. Garrick are still in Florida for a little while longer.  I honestly can’t remember when they are coming home, but I’m sure they’ll let me know.”</p>
<p>“What are we going to do with all this free time?” Jaime purred and brought Bart’s face up to his to give him a kiss.</p>
<p>“Are we going to have to constantly chaperone you two?” Cassie said with a smirk while walking into the entertainment room hand in hand with Tim.</p>
<p>“That would SO not be crash,” Bart said while pulling away from Jaime.  A blush quickly spread across his cheeks.</p>
<p>“We can control ourselves a bit more if you think it’s best,” Jaime chuckled.</p>
<p>“Oh,” Cassie gasped while bringing her free hand up to her mouth.  “I didn’t mean to push myself in between your relationship.”</p>
<p>“They’re joking Cassie,” Tim chuckled.  “Just keep your PDA to a minimum on missions or during mission briefs, if you can prove to M’gann that you can remain professional, then there won’t be a problem with any of the League.”  Tim gave his friendly warning from a place of experience.</p>
<p>“What’s PDA?” Bart asked innocently.</p>
<p>“Public Displays of Affection,” Cassie answered.  “Kissing, hugging, nicknames, anything in front of other people.”</p>
<p>“Are there any special plans for New Years up here?” Jaime asked.</p>
<p>“Not that I know of,” Cassie responded.  “I think some of the Team are going to Times Square to see the ball drop, but otherwise nothing special.”</p>
<p>“What’s so special with Times Square?” Bart asked, all this past knowledge was extremely hard to keep up on.</p>
<p>“New York City has a big celebration for the New Year,” Jaime explained.  “A bunch of people gather in Times Square, news reporters show up to cover everything, there are food stalls, sometimes a band, and then a big ending with watching a big light ball slowly descend on the top of a building.”</p>
<p>“It’s a blast to go to!” Cassie exclaimed.  “If I can talk this one into going, we’ll be there.”  Cassie lightly elbowed Tim in the ribs as she spoke.</p>
<p>“Let’s go!” Bart excitedly said while sitting straight up to look Jaime in the eye.</p>
<p>“Ok,” Jaime said.  “We’ll go, but we should still keep an eye out for any villains and such, big groups of people tend to attract bad guys.”</p>
<p>“That is very true,” Tim added.  “Most wouldn’t attack such a large group of people, but a handful would.  You’re more likely to see pick-pockets than laser weapons in that large of a crowd.”</p>
<p>“In the meantime,” Cassie sounded like she had a devilish plan, a smirk creeping onto her face.  “Let’s talk about what Tim got for Christmas.”</p>
<p>“It’s nothing,” Tim bashfully fought back, one of the few times anyone got to see him blush.  “Really.”</p>
<p>“What did you get?” Jaime asked, the smirk on his face matching Cassie’s.</p>
<p>“Batman gave him a trust fund,” Cassie said.  “And a substantial one!”</p>
<p>“He did that for Dick too,” Tim replied sheepishly.  He scratched the back of his neck, hoping someone would change the topic.  No such luck existed for Tim today.</p>
<p>“That’s not bad hermano!” Jaime said, he was thoroughly impressed at such a large gesture.</p>
<p>“And what did Dick get you?” Cassie teased, smirking like a fiend.</p>
<p>“Nothing Cassie!” Tim quickly added, trying to playfully push his girlfriend out of the room.  Her super strength meant she wasn’t going anywhere.</p>
<p>“A box of condoms!” Cassie laughed as she said it.  She gripped her stomach as she doubled over in laughter.</p>
<p>“¡Órale!” Jaime shouted.  Cassie had his full attention now and he was surprised at her reaction to the gift.  “He gave that to you in front of Batman?!”</p>
<p>“Yes!” Tim said through gritted teeth.  “Which then prompted a not so amusing talk about the implications of dating as a teenager.  Alfred barely contained his amusement through the whole thing.”</p>
<p>“Any kind of gifts like that for you guys?” Cassie managed to gasp between laughs.</p>
<p>“No!” Jaime quickly added.  “First off, we just started dating.  Second, it will be a few years until anything like that happens.  Third, my family doesn’t know yet.”  Jaime’s volume petered off at the last comment.</p>
<p>“What do you mean ‘Your family doesn’t know yet?’” Cassie asked, straightening up and gaining composure over herself.</p>
<p>“I’m totally moded here!” Bart huffed in frustration.  Jaime had to admit that Bart looked kind of cute when he did things like that.  “I have no idea what you guys are talking about.”</p>
<p>“See what I mean,” Jaime chuckled as Bart brought a little of levity to the conversation with his innocence.  “We can talk about everything in the future.”</p>
<p>“That doesn’t answer my question Jaime!” Cassie scolded Jaime.  “Why haven’t you told your family?”</p>
<p>“I just haven’t found the right time yet,” Jaime struggled with the half-truth.</p>
<p>“Don’t tell me they’d kick you out or something!” Cassie began fuming.  “I swear, people need to catch up with the times!  Tell me whose butt I need to kick!”</p>
<p>“Cassie,” Tim put a slightly tighter grip on her hand and used his thumb to stroke the back of it.  “We don’t know everything going on with his family.  We can’t just punch everyone who doesn’t agree with us.”  Tim looked over at Jaime and Bart.  “When you guys decide to tell your families, let us know.  We can be moral support and if they don’t like it, I’m sure we can work out some place for you guys to stay and feel safe.”</p>
<p>“My family already knows!” Bart chimed in; a huge smile spread across his face.  “Jaime decided to share it with them at Thanksgiving!”</p>
<p>“You waited that long to tell us!” Cassie seemed shocked and hurt that they were able to keep their relationship a secret for that long.</p>
<p>“Some of us knew,” Tim smirked at Cassie.  He finally wasn’t the center of attention and had the leg up on his girlfriend.</p>
<p>“Artemis knew too,” Jaime chuckled.</p>
<p>“When you don’t have superpowers,” Tim shrugged.  “You have to learn to be observant to everything around you.”</p>
<p>“You didn’t tell me!” Cassie whined and gave Tim a pouty face.</p>
<p>“It wasn’t my news to tell!” Tim defended himself.  “Besides, it would have sounded like gossip coming from anyone other than them.  Right?”</p>
<p>“I guess so,” Cassie admitted.</p>
<p>“Ok,” Tim carried on.  “We’ll let them carry on with their day.  Let’s head back to Gotham, the snow there is perfect for building a snowman.”</p>
<p>Cassie and Tim walked off towards the zeta tubes and disappeared in a yellow flash of light.</p>
<p>“Mind telling me what they were talking about now?” Bart asked innocently, giving Jaime his best puppy dog stare.</p>
<p>“A trust fund,” Jaime started, “is a large amount of money.  It usually comes with a condition attached, like reaching a certain age, or going to college.  I guess Batman wanted to make sure that Tim was set up for life.”  Jaime made sure not to bring up the other gift that Tim got.  Bart didn’t need to know that now anyway, they were years away from that sort of relationship and Bart’s innocence was something that Jaime found adorable.</p>
<p>“You’re not going to explain the other one, are you?” Bart smiled up at Jaime, making sure his green eyes caught the attention of Jaime’s brown eyes.</p>
<p>“Not yet cariño,” Jaime smiled back down at him.  “That’s a lesson for another year.”  Jaime leaned down and kissed Bart again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>
    
  </strong>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <strong>New York City</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>December 31, 16:00 EST</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jaime and Bart walked down a snowy pathway in Central Park.  Their gloves were warm and soft to the touch and their hands were only made warmer by the fact their fingers were laced together.  In their free hands, they each held a steaming travel cup of hot chocolate.  Bart was seeming to have more trouble manipulating the cup with its smooth papery surface and his gloves giving him no friction to work with, which caused Jaime to chuckle at the speedster.</p>
<p>“You don’t have to keep putting the tab down after each sip,” Jaime chuckled.</p>
<p>“Then why even put the tab on there?” Bart asked in frustration.  “These pointless inventions are so moded!”</p>
<p>“It isn’t moded,” Jaime chuckled.  “They are meant for traveling, meaning bumpy roads and the like.  With nowhere to go, the liquid stays inside.”</p>
<p>“But we aren’t driving!” Bart whined.  “We’re walking.”</p>
<p>“The people at the coffee shop didn’t know that,” Jaime sighed and smiled.  He knew this argument wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.</p>
<p>“Why not just give us their mugs?” Bart asked.</p>
<p>“Because we weren’t sitting down in the shop,” Jaime explained.  “They only give the mugs to people who are staying there, to make sure that no one steal them.  Plus, they would be really messy to drink from while walking.”</p>
<p>“Like we would steal anything!” Bart exclaimed, almost offended by the implication that heroes would steal anything.  “At most, it would be scavenger’s rights.  But that’s really more for food or tools.”</p>
<p>“Guess what?” Jaime decided he would try his new favorite thing to get Bart off this rant.  He stopped walking and turned to face Bart.</p>
<p>“What?” Bart asked and looked up at Jaime.</p>
<p>Jaime swooped down and placed a kiss on Bart’s lips.  Curse Bart’s healing factor and not getting chapped lips in the winter, unlike Jaime, whose lips probably felt like sandpaper compared to Bart’s smooth lips.  But his plan had worked, at least for the short term, as Bart couldn’t carry on his rant while his lips were occupied.</p>
<p>“No fair,” Bart sighed but smiled from ear to ear as he pulled away from the kiss.</p>
<p>“Totally fair,” Jaime replied smugly.  “What do you want to do now cariño?  We have a few hours until the ball drops.”</p>
<p>“I’m just fine chill-haning,” Bart replied.</p>
<p>“What about ice skating?” Jaime asked as the thought suddenly occurred to him.</p>
<p>“We haven’t finished our hot chocolates yet,” Bart brought up his cup and struggled to get the tab open before taking a sip.</p>
<p><em>The Bart Allen seems apprehensive about ice skating,</em> the Scarab said.  <em>There is an increase of glutamate in his amygdala.  According to all known samples of homo-sapiens, this indicates a fear response.</em></p>
<p>“Bart?” Jaime asked, his face dropping in concern.</p>
<p>“Yeah Jaime?” Bart looked up at Jaime, his face showing signs of concern.</p>
<p>“Are you afraid to go ice skating?” Jaime asked.</p>
<p>“What?!” Bart tried to play up his usual high energy front.  “Absolutely not!  What would give you that idea?”</p>
<p>“Scarab primarily,” Jaime admitted.  “But I am getting better at reading you myself.  What’s wrong with ice skating?”</p>
<p>“It’s the no friction thing,” Bart admitted.  “With snow, there is enough grip on the ground to not worry about falling, but just ice means no friction, and no friction means no speed.”</p>
<p>“Want me to teach you how to skate?”  Jaime asked.</p>
<p>“You know how to ice skate?” Bart asked, caught off guard by his boyfriend who lives in Texas.</p>
<p>“Not ice skate per say,” Jaime shrugged his shoulders.  “But I know how to skate and skateboard, so the premise can’t be too far off.  Besides, I always have Scarab to catch us if we fall.”</p>
<p><em>This Scarab's purpose is not to facilitate the mating rituals of native cultures,</em> the Scarab protested.  <em>But you are not wrong in our scans of nearby ice skaters.  The same muscle groups are used for both skating activities, however, you will have to compensate for the difference of friction.</em></p>
<p>“See!” Jaime exclaimed, even though Bart couldn’t hear, let alone see what the Scarab said.  Jaime chose to ignore the mating rituals comment.  “Scarab said that ice skating and regular skating are practically similar.  It shouldn’t be too much of a hassle.”</p>
<p><em>That is not what this Scarab said, </em>the Scarab protested.</p>
<p>“You won’t let me fall?” Bart asked and locked eyes with Jaime.</p>
<p>“Promise,” Jaime answered back with confidence.  “At least not without me falling underneath you to cushion your fall.”</p>
<p>“Then let’s give it a try,” Bart said and gripped Jaime’s hand a little more tightly.</p>
<p>The two of them made their way to the Rink at Rockefeller Center, it was fairly crowded there, as ice skating was a standard winter activity amongst families, friends, and dating couples.  Jaime could tell that Bart was apprehensive about ice skating by the way he timidly took the skates and put them on.</p>
<p>“You sure you’re good to try this?” Jaime nudged Bart as they sat next to each other on one of the benches to change into their skates.  “I’m fine doing something else.”</p>
<p>“I’m crash,” Bart said with a shaky smile.  “Let’s just get on the ice and try this out.”</p>
<p>The two of them made their way to the entry point of the rink.  Jaime was the first one to put his skates on the ice.  His foot slid slightly as he adjusted to the new feeling of ice underneath him.  He made sure to put on a huge smile and offered his hand to Bart.  Bart took a timid first step onto the ice and slid a little as well.  Jaime was quick to grab his shoulders and keep him steady.  Bart got his other foot onto the ice and his legs shook from his anticipation of falling.</p>
<p>“Relax cariño,” Jaime said soothingly, and he helped Bart to the edge of the rink.  “Breath and remember to have fun.  Let’s stay next to the edge of the rink so you can keep a hand on the railing if needed.”</p>
<p>The two of them began slowly making their first lap around the ice rink.  Jaime was very quick to find the proper footing for this work; Bart was a little slower at it.</p>
<p>“You take a lap without me,” Bart panted as they reached the entry way again.</p>
<p>“You need to sit down?” Jaime asked with concern in his voice.</p>
<p>“No, I just want to get my ice legs awhile,” Bart explained.  He sounded marginally more confident than when they got here, but still a bit shaky.</p>
<p>“Just flag me down if you want me to come back to you,” Jaime said, and Bart nodded.</p>
<p>Jaime decided he needed to get some speed out and took off like a speed skater.  His years of roller blading were paying off, plus the added benefit of Scarab giving him technical help occasionally.  Jaime even managed to skate backwards, blowing by Bart at least three separate times.  Jaime couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear and kept his eyes on Bart, who was also wearing a huge smile.</p>
<p>Bart loved seeing Jaime move.  He seemed just as graceful on the ice as he did in the air with his jetpack.  Bart marveled at the speed and sharp turns that Jaime was able to do.  He was also mature enough to know that he was slightly jealous of Jaime’s coordination on the ice, but he quickly stamped such thoughts out of his head because he was here with Jaime, the thing he wanted for such a long time.  Once Jaime had skated past him for the third time, he waved his arm up to signal to Jaime that he was ready to try skating again.</p>
<p>“Ready to go again?” Jaime asked as he skidded to a stop by Bart.</p>
<p>“You’re so amazing!” Bart exclaimed and threw his arms around Jaime’s neck for a hug.</p>
<p>Jaime returned the hug and they gained a few glances by the other skaters.</p>
<p>“I have an idea,” Jaime said and pulled Bart away from him while still holding onto his shoulders.  “What if I skate backwards and hold onto your hands?  We could get a bit more speed, which I know you love, and it might help you get your ice legs a bit faster.”</p>
<p>“Only if you hold on tight,” Bart pleaded as he looked at Jaime.</p>
<p>“Always,” Jaime said with a warm smile.</p>
<p>Jaime grabbed tightly to Bart’s hands and positioned himself in front of Bart, making sure Bart was facing the same way that all the other skaters were going.  The only thing either of them could see in front of himself was the other, which is all they needed to see.  Jaime waited until Bart’s legs steadied and then began to skate backwards, slowly pulling Bart along with him.  Jaime had seen couples do this sort of thing on those sappy romantic movies that his mamá loved so much, he never thought he would be the one doing it.  They skated for what felt like minutes, slowly working their speed up to a standard skating speed.  Bart’s infectious laugh made its way to Jaime’s ears and caused him to laugh in unison.  They smiled and stared into each other’s eyes as they made their laps around the rink.  They didn’t notice that the rink was slowly but surely losing guests as the lights were turned up and people filtered their way out to Times Square.</p>
<p>“Uh Blue,” Bart finally broke after having way more fun than he thought he could on ice.  His legs were aching, and his stomach was letting him know that his metabolism was catching up to the practically nothing he ate all day.  “As crash as this is, maybe we should call it quits for now.”</p>
<p>“Sounds good,” Jaime beamed as he slowed down their skating and they made their final lap to the exit.</p>
<p>As they came to a stop, Bart’s legs finally gave out from fatigue.  He was used to running for long stretches of time, but Bart didn’t even know he had these muscles and the new ones were all sorts of tired.  As he began to lose his balance, a strong and supportive arm reached out and grabbed the small of his back, pulling him chest to chest with Jaime.  Both boys looked at each other and both of their faces turned a deep red as they blushed deeper than they had ever done before.  After a split second, they both realized that they were still holding onto the other’s hands.  They glanced down and realized that the arm that pulled Bart close was in fact a blue tendril from the Scarab.  Their eyes met each other’s again and they decided, that since Scarab was keeping them standing for a few seconds, they could sneak a kiss while they had the chance.</p>
<p>“Guess we should get off the ice,” Jaime sounded breathy after their kiss.  Jaime could feel his heartbeat and Bart’s heartbeat, they were both in the same rhythm and louder than ever.</p>
<p>“And totally get some food,” Bart said and smiled at Jaime.</p>
<p>They chuckled and made their way off the ice and back into their shoes.  They walked out of the rink and towards Times Square, normally only a few minutes’ walk, but with the heavy foot traffic, they soon found out that Times Square was already packed with people and they couldn’t get any closer.</p>
<p>“Guess we spent a bit too long on the ice,” Bart sighed.</p>
<p>“How about you run and get the food,” Jaime pondered.  “I think I got a good place to watch everything.”</p>
<p>Bart found a quiet alley and took off at superspeed.</p>
<p><em>Scarab,</em> Jaime thought to his alien device.</p>
<p><em>Yes Jaime Reyes?</em> The Scarab sounded surprised to be called upon.</p>
<p><em>Can you scan the overhang on the Hard Rock Caf</em><em>é?</em> Jaime asked as he eyes up the stone archway over the entrance to the famous restaurant.</p>
<p><em>Sonic scans indicate the structure is made of reinforced steel and aluminum sheeting,</em> the Scarab informed him.  <em>Able to handle several thousand pounds.</em></p>
<p>“Thank you!” Jaime let out as he had found the place for them to watch all the action and be apart from the crowd at the same time.</p>
<p>“You’re welcome!” Bart announced as he reappeared with arms full of McDonalds bags and balancing a cup carrier of sweet teas in his hands.</p>
<p>“Got enough stuff there?” Jaime teased as he took the cup carrier from Bart.</p>
<p>“I haven’t eaten in a while,” Bart pouted and stuck his lip out at Jaime.</p>
<p>“I’m teasing cariño,” Jaime chuckled and kissed Bart’s forehead.  “Let’s go in the alley over there and suit up.  I found the perfect place to watch the ball drop.”  Jaime led Bart into the nearby alley and deployed his blue and black armor.  Bart spun in a circle incredibly fast, making sure to hand the food to Jaime first, and when he stopped, he was in his Kid Flash outfit.</p>
<p>“I still feel kind of weird in this costume,” Bart said and looked down at his bright yellow spandex outfit.</p>
<p>“You look perfect to me,” Jaime purred and handed the food bags back over to Bart.  His faceplate hid his blush, but Bart didn’t have the same luxury.  He balanced the drinks on top of the bags and stepped behind Bart.  He snacked his arms under Bart’s arms and hugged his chest from behind.  He willed Scarab to deploy his wings and gently took off from the ground.  They soared above the tall building they were concealed by, Jaime noticing that Bart’s brown hair blew about in the cool breeze.  He touched down gently on the overhand of the Hard Rock Café.</p>
<p>“This is totally crash Blue!” Bart exclaimed as he got his footing back on the metal surface.</p>
<p>“And a surprise visit tonight from Blue Beetle and Kid Flash!” Cat Grant announced as she stood in Times Square, covering the event.  The cameras turned and angled up at the two heroes on the overhang.  “Any reason for the visit?”  Cat asked and Jaime’s Scarab picked up the broadcast to transfer to Jaime.</p>
<p>“Just enjoying the festivities!” Jaime called down and waved to the crowd.  Bart quickly sat the bags down and joined in the waving.  Once the crowd died down, Cat went back to covering the event, and Jaime and Bart sat down behind the signs on the overhang.  Jaime retracted his faceplate to enjoy his food.  Bart’s mask allowed him to eat his food without revealing his identity.</p>
<p>Bart got Jaime a couple of burgers, a serving of fries and his own sweet tea.  Bart got about a dozen burgers, three servings of fries, and three sweet teas for himself.  With his superspeed, he was able to eat his meal in comparative time as Jaime.  Jaime noticed that Bart was watching him eat occasionally, probably doing his best to keep the pace to a comparable speed.</p>
<p>“You can eat at your own pace,” Jaime said after swallowing a bite of one of his burgers.  “I don’t mind if you finish first.”</p>
<p>“Too easy!” Bart smiled as he polished off another container of fries, putting his trash into an empty bag.  “I like a challenge and eating is something no one will ever beat me at.  Besides, doing things together is something I like.”</p>
<p>The two of them finished their meal and stood back up, Jaime keeping his faceplate down, since his secret identity was revealed to world in New York City several months ago.  His beanie keeping his head warm in the cold weather.  Jaime and Bart watched the festivities from their perch above it all, Jaime leaving his arm around Bart’s shoulders and holding him close.  They gained the attention of a few people, who snapped pictures or pointed up at the pair of them.  They smiled at each other as the time passed, slowly but surely the time came for the large ball of lights to begin its decent down the tower.</p>
<p>“This past holiday is probably the strangest one yet,” Bart admitted while snuggled up against Jaime’s side.</p>
<p>“How so?” Jaime asked, he was very curious as to why this one was stranger than the rest they had experienced together.</p>
<p>“Halloween is a fun time for kids and pranksters,” Bart explained while looking out at the sea of people.  “Plus, the candy is a nice bonus!  Thanksgiving is about being thankful for all you have and spending time with family, plus a lot of food.”  Bart chuckled as he realized he kept focusing on the food.  “Christmas is about showing people you love them with gifts or just spending time together.  But New Years just has large groups of people standing in the cold waiting for a ball to drop.  All to celebrate the inevitable passage of time.”  Bart looked up and saw Jaime just sort of staring down at him in awe.  “Don’t get me wrong!  Today was totally crash and the ice skating was fun.  Just a tourist’s perspective on the whole holiday.”</p>
<p>“You never cease to amaze me,” Jaime sighed in gratitude of the speedster clinging to him.</p>
<p>“10!” The crowd started to chant, interrupting Jaime and Bart as they closed the distance between them.  “9!”</p>
<p>“What’s happening now?” Bart asked in amazement.</p>
<p>“8!”</p>
<p>“You’ll see,” Jaime answered and looked up at the descending orb of light.</p>
<p>“7!”</p>
<p>Bart looked up as well and saw the ball slowly approaching the roof of the building it was on.</p>
<p>“6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1!  Happy New Year!”  The crowd burst into cheers and couples began jumping into each other’s arms and kissing to celebrate the new year.</p>
<p>Jaime scooped Bart up, bridal style, in his arms.  Bart began to blush but couldn’t get any word in edgewise before Jaime stopped his ability to talk with a tender kiss.  The moment felt like it lasted forever, and they wouldn’t have minded if time had completely stopped in that moment.</p>
<p>“And there you have it folks!” Cat Grant announced to the camera.  “2016 is gone and 2017 is now here for us to make it our own.  Speaking of making it our own, it appears that a few superheroes have claimed this moment to let the world know of their relationship!”  The camera panned over to Jaime and Bart on top of the overhang of the Hard Rock Café, Jaime holding Bart and deep into their New Years kiss.  “Glad to see that the Justice League is open to relationships and people of all walks of life!”</p>
<p>Jaime pulled out of the kiss and chuckled while putting his forehead to Bart’s forehead, both of their eyes were closed in the moment.  “Guess that means we get to tell my family.”</p>
<p>“Really?!” Bart vibrated in excitement, his eyes shooting open to look at Jaime and he couldn’t help but have a huge smile plastered on his face.</p>
<p>“Yeah, mamá and papá both stay up to watch the ball drop,” Jaime admitted and opened his eyes to look into Bart’s eyes.  “Plus, they let Milagro stay awake too, although she usually falls asleep around nine, but knowing our luck, she’s wide awake.”</p>
<p>“One second!” Bart exclaimed and jumped out of the Jaime’s arms.  He moved at superspeed and collected all their trash, condensing it all to one bag, then he jumped back into Jaime’s arms.  Thankfully Jaime didn’t have time to truly react and put his arms down.  “Fly us to El Paso!”</p>
<p>Jaime laughed and redeployed his faceplate.  His wings extended and his jetpack lifted them into the air.  They flew to the zeta tube and disappeared in a burst of yellow light.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>
    
  </strong>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <strong>El Paso</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>December 31, 22:15 MST</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In another burst of yellow light, Jaime and Bart stepped out onto an abandoned lot in El Paso, Texas.  Jaime retracted his armor and Bart spun in a circle at superspeed to change back into his street clothes.  They linked hands and walked to Jaime’s house.</p>
<p>“You good to do this Blue?” Bart asked as they were still a couple of blocks away from his house.</p>
<p>“Sí,” Jaime responded.  “It’s better now that it’s out there.”  Jaime still shook slightly, not from the temperature, which was warmer than New York, but from his nerves.</p>
<p>“Want to call Cassie and Tim?” Bart asked as he squeezed Jaime’s hand for reassurance.</p>
<p>“No,” Jaime sighed as he took a deep breath in to calm himself.  “I just need to focus and do this.”</p>
<p>They finished their distance to the Reyes household.  The lights inside were on and the tv was playing, they could see the Times Square celebration on in the background.  Jaime opened the front door and walked into his house, still holding onto Bart’s hand, a little tighter than usual.</p>
<p>“I’m…” Jaime’s voice caught in his throat as he attempted to announce himself to the house.  He quickly cleared his throat.  “I’m home!  Bart’s with me!”</p>
<p>“Come into the living room mijo!” Alberto harshly called back.</p>
<p>Jaime froze up by the front door.  Sweat began beading up on his brow.  Bart nudged him slightly to get a response out of him.  “Just going to take off my coat and shoes first!”  Jaime and Bart removed their coats, gloves, hats, and shoes, but Jaime still seemed reluctant to go into the living room.  Footsteps could be heard upstairs and moving towards the staircase, as Bianca made her way downstairs.  The way she was moving quietly meant she had just laid Milagro down to sleep.  She made eye contact with Jaime and motioned him into the living room, not revealing any emotion.</p>
<p>“We can do this,” Bart whispered in Jaime’s ear.  “Instead of calling Cassie or Tim, do you want me to let them know you’re telling your parents now through text, just to have them on standby?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Jaime gulped as he started to find his courage again.</p>
<p>Bart quickly pulled out his phone and shot Tim and Cassie a quick message.  “Good to go.”</p>
<p>They made their way into the living room.  Alberto was sitting in his recliner and Bianca was sitting in her favorite glider chair.  On the tv, his parents had frozen on the image of Jaime and Bart kissing, thank you DirecTV.</p>
<p>“Mind explaining this!” Alberto gestured wildly to the tv with the remote.</p>
<p>Jaime just stared into the angry face of his father, like a deer in headlights.  Thankfully he was still holding Bart’s hand, or he might have felt like he could fall through the floor at any moment.</p>
<p>“I’m dating Bart,” Jaime managed to say, barely above a whisper.</p>
<p>“When did this happen?!” Alberto seethed.</p>
<p>Bart was about to enter a full-blown defensive burst when he noticed Bianca smirk.</p>
<p>“That’s enough Alberto,” Bianca said soothingly.  “I think you scared him enough for the rest of his life.”  Alberto’s whole demeanor quickly changed from a scowl to a smile and him and Bianca started laughing.</p>
<p>“¡Órale!” Jaime shouted.  “You guys really don’t care?”</p>
<p>“Who you love is who you love mijo,” Bianca answered as she composed herself quicker than Alberto.  “We’re just a little hurt you didn’t say anything before we saw it on tv.”</p>
<p>“I wasn’t sure if you guys would like it,” Jaime sat down on the couch and Bart sat next to him.</p>
<p>“I thought you were dating back before the Halloween dance, remember?” Bianca asked and raised an eyebrow at her son.</p>
<p>“We actually started dating right after the dance,” Bart chimed in, a big smile on his face.</p>
<p>“You didn’t tell us for two whole months?” Alberto asked, sounding hurt for being left out of the loop for so long.</p>
<p>“I wasn’t sure what you’d think,” Jaime defended.  “Both abuelas are super Catholic and I wasn’t sure where you guys stood on the matter.”</p>
<p>“Jaime,” Bianca said.  “We will always love you.  We may not agree on everything, like revealing your identity to the world…”</p>
<p>“That was the Reach!” Jaime jumped in.</p>
<p>“…still,” Bianca continued like she hadn’t been interrupted.  “We want you to be happy and we know that Bart makes you happy.  He’s even spent so much time here this last year that he’s part of the family.”</p>
<p>Bart beamed with pride as he was now part of the Reyes family, both in person and in spirit.</p>
<p>“Just no funny business,” Alberto teased.</p>
<p>“¡Órale!” Jaime pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand.  “Not gonna happen anytime soon.”</p>
<p>“Good to hear,” Alberto smiled and decided to let up on the teasing.</p>
<p>“Alberto,” Bianca said with a smirk.  “Make sure you save that recording so we can relentlessly tease them every year.”</p>
<p>“Don’t!” Jaime yelled.</p>
<p>“Too late mijo!” Alberto waved the remove in front of him.  “It was saved before you even came home.”</p>
<p><em>This Scarab can hack into the recording technology and delete the file,</em> the Scarab offered.  <em>The technology is primitive compared to my own.</em></p>
<p><em>No thanks Scarab,</em> Jaime relented.  <em>We’ll let them have their fun for now, maybe we’ll delete it next year.</em></p>
<p>“You boys can head upstairs and watch a movie or something,” Bianca offered, letting them free from anymore jabs at their expense.  “Just keep anything to a minimum, Milagro is asleep.”</p>
<p>“Thanks Mrs. Reyes!” Bart said excitedly and stood up, pulled Jaime to his feet.  They stopped in the kitchen to grab some bottled water before heading upstairs.  Jaime and Bart made it to Jaime’s room without anymore input from the peanut gallery.  “What do you want to watch?”  Bart plopped down on the bed and turned on the tv, making sure the volume was low.</p>
<p>“I can’t believe they took it so well,” Jaime sighed as all the tension in his shoulders released.</p>
<p>“Guess I should let Tim and Cassie know it went well,” Bart said and pulled out his phone to shoot them a message.</p>
<p>“How can you be so relaxed?” Jaime asked and furrowed his brow at Bart.</p>
<p>“Nothing frightens me when I’m with my hero,” Bart replied with a smile and kissed Jaime.  “Now pick a movie.”  He stretched out on the bed while Jaime picked <em>Rogue One: A Star Wars Story</em> and turned it on.  “What’s this?”</p>
<p>“Only a movie from one of the greatest franchises of all time!” Jaime said like Bart should already know that.  “It’s brand new and I know you’re going to love it.”</p>
<p>They reclined side by side as the movie began playing.  They admittedly missed the first several frames of the movie, as they were too focused on each other’s lips, but a DVD could be re-watched, moments like these were once in a lifetime.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Spanish Translations</p>
<p>¡Órale!- Mexican Slang, usually meant as “Wow!” or “My Goodness!”</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>